Advanced textbook on crystal nonlinear optics.

Since the invention of the first laser 30 years ago, the frequency conversion of laser radiation in nonlinear optical crystals has become an important technique widely used in quantum electronics and laser physics for solving various scientific and engineering problems. The fundamental physics of three-wave light interactions in nonlinear optical crystals is now largely understood. This has enabled the production of the various harmonic generators, sum and difference frequency generators, and parametric oscillators based on nonlinear crystals that are now commercially available. At the same time, scientists continue an active search for novel high-efficiency optical materials. Therefore, in our opinion, there is a great need for a handbook of nonlinear optical crystals, intended for specialists and practitioners with an engineering background. This book contains a complete description of the properties and applications of all nonlinear crystals reported in the literature up to the beginning of 1990. In addition, it contains the most important equations for calculating the main parameters (such as phase-matching direction, effective non-linearity, and conversion efficiency) of nonlinear frequency converters.

Nonlinear Optical Crystals contains the most complete and up-to-date reference material on properties of nonlinear optical crystals including: Traditional and specific applications The mathematical formulas necessary for the calculation of the frequency conversion process A survey of 63 nonlinear optical crystals containing more than 1500 different references with full titles Recent applications of common and novel nonlinear materials, including quasi-phase matching Special consideration for periodically-poled and self-frequency-doubling materials Significant amount of crystallophysical, thermophysical, spectroscopic, electro-optic and magneto-optic information

Since the invention of the first laser 30 years ago, the frequency conversion of laser radiation in nonlinear optical crystals has become an important technique widely used in quantum electronics and laser physics for solving various scientific and engineering problems. The fundamental physics of three-wave light interactions in nonlinear optical crystals is now well understood. This has enabled the production of various harmonic generators, sum-and difference frequency generators, and optical parametric oscillators based on nonlinear optical crystals that are now commercially available. At the same time, scientists continue an active search for novel, highly efficient nonlinear optical materials. Therefore, in our opinion, there is a great need for a handbook of nonlinear optical crystals, intended for specialists and practitioners with an engineering background. This book contains a complete description of the properties and applications of all nonliner optical crystals of practical importance reported in the literature up to the beginning of 1990. In addition, it contains the most important equations for calculating the main parameters (such as phase-matching direction, effective nonlinearity, and conversion efficiency) of nonlinear frequency converters.

This is a monograph/text devoted to a detailed treatment of the optical, electro-optical and nonlinear optical properties of all the mesophases of liquid crystals and related processes, phenomena and application principles. Quantitative data on material and optical parameters spanning the ultraviolet, visible, infrared as well as the microwave regimes are presented along with detailed theoretical treatments of basic liquid crystal physics, material properties and nonlinear optics.Starting with a discussion on the basic building blocks of liquid crystalline molecules, the authors proceed to present in a pedagogical manner current theories, experiments, and applications of these unique and important optical properties of liquid crystals. Numerous tables of hard-to-find liquid crystalline parameters, a self-contained chapter on general nonlinear optics, and comprehensive literature review are also included.

Nonlinear optical studies of periodic dielectric structures have blossomed in the past two decades. New fabrication techniques are producing fiber grating and multidimensional photonic crystals in materials where the refractive index can be varied by light pulses and beams. Gap solitons that can propagate at any velocity from zero to the speed of light and spatial solitons that prevent the diffractive spread of light in waveguide arrays are two examples of the new phenomena described in this book. Many new materials and structures are being developed that will impact new optical devices with applications in optical communications and optical data processing. All the above topics are addressed in detail in this book.

Since the early days of nonlinear optics in the 1960s, the field has expanded dramatically, and is now a vast and vibrant field with countless technological applications. Providing a gentle introduction to the principles of the subject, this textbook is ideal for graduate students starting their research in this exciting area. After basic ideas have been outlined, the book offers a thorough analysis of second harmonic generation and related second-order processes, before moving on to third-order effects, the nonlinear optics of short optical pulses and coherent effects such as electromagnetically-induced transparency. A simplified treatment of high harmonic generation is presented at the end. More advanced topics, such as the linear and nonlinear optics of crystals, the tensor nature of the nonlinear coefficients and their quantum mechanical representation, are confined to specialist chapters so that readers can focus on basic principles before tackling these more difficult aspects of the subject.